I had lunch today in Jericho. Yes, the place we read about in the Old Testament book of Joshua where the people marched and the walls fell down. Situated less than ten miles west of the Jordan River at the base of the Judean hills, the new Jericho is built around the ruins of the biblical city.
At lunch our group met a very interesting man; an Arab with a violent past. A former Muslim. A trained killer. An assassin associated with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). But all of that changed in one transformational moment. Several years ago Jesus Himself appeared to this man in a vision. He appeared to this man who, like Paul, had been, “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.” And just as Paul obtained mercy, so did this man. God saved and forgave him. In God’s mercy, the nation of Israel forgave his crimes.
This man now lives in Jericho and leads a very effective ministry. In sharing his testimony with us at lunch he said something that stood out, “Jesus didn’t save me just to be a Christian. He saved me to make a difference. Where I once brought death, I now want to bring life.” For the last forty years since his salvation experience, this former Muslim but now Christian brother has committed his life and his fortune to doing just that.
What the man said is true for every believer. God didn’t save us just so we could be Christians and go to heaven. If that were the case, God would translate us immediately like He did Enoch. God saves us and then calls us to a life of service. He calls us to spend the rest of our lives making a difference in a world of darkness.
All month long we have been in a Sunday morning series on making an impact. I met a man today who is doing just that, and he’s doing it in Jericho. We can do the same thing right here where we live if we only will. Pray, speak, serve, give, go. In whatever way God enables you to do it, make an impact in this world for Jesus Christ.
Pastor Todd Weston
At lunch our group met a very interesting man; an Arab with a violent past. A former Muslim. A trained killer. An assassin associated with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). But all of that changed in one transformational moment. Several years ago Jesus Himself appeared to this man in a vision. He appeared to this man who, like Paul, had been, “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.” And just as Paul obtained mercy, so did this man. God saved and forgave him. In God’s mercy, the nation of Israel forgave his crimes.
This man now lives in Jericho and leads a very effective ministry. In sharing his testimony with us at lunch he said something that stood out, “Jesus didn’t save me just to be a Christian. He saved me to make a difference. Where I once brought death, I now want to bring life.” For the last forty years since his salvation experience, this former Muslim but now Christian brother has committed his life and his fortune to doing just that.
What the man said is true for every believer. God didn’t save us just so we could be Christians and go to heaven. If that were the case, God would translate us immediately like He did Enoch. God saves us and then calls us to a life of service. He calls us to spend the rest of our lives making a difference in a world of darkness.
All month long we have been in a Sunday morning series on making an impact. I met a man today who is doing just that, and he’s doing it in Jericho. We can do the same thing right here where we live if we only will. Pray, speak, serve, give, go. In whatever way God enables you to do it, make an impact in this world for Jesus Christ.
Pastor Todd Weston